Cognitive Theories of Memory

Question 1

What are two definitions of memory?

Answer 1

1 - Maintaining information over time.

2 - The mental process of acquiring and retaining information for later retrieval

Question 2

What is implicit/explicit memory?

Answer 2

These are definitions from a set of memory tasks, they do not measure cognitive theory

Question 3

Define implicit memory.

Answer 3

A notion that if you have been exposed to something in a particular setting before, it will affect your subsequent performance

Question 4

Define explicit memory.

Answer 4

The notion of actively trying to learn something

Question 5

What is procedural/declarative memory?

Answer 5

Theories derived from dissociable cognitive theories, tests developed to test these theories

Question 6

Define procedural memory.

Answer 6

The storage of skills and procedures, very important in motor performance

Question 7

What is procedural memory supported by?

Answer 7

Memory systems that are independent of the hippocampal formation

Question 8

Define declarative memory

Answer 8

Accumulation of facts/data derived from learning experiences

Question 9

What is the declarative system an outcome of?

Answer 9

Processing by various processing systems, which feed the hippocampal formation, due to relational nature of hippocampal formation, declarative memory is relational

Question 10

What does activation of declarative memory cause?

Answer 10

Activation of related memories

Question 11

What are the four models of memory?

Answer 11

(Serial models):
1- Atkinson-shiffrin model
2- Levels of processing model
3- Tulving’s model

(Parallel model)
1- Parallel distributed processing model

Question 12

What is sensory memory in the Atkinson-Shiffrin model?

Answer 12

storage of brief sensory events, such as sights, sounds, and tastes. It is very brief storage—up to a couple of seconds.

Question 13

What is short-term/working memory in Atkinson-Shiffrin model?

Answer 13

A temporary storage system that processes incoming sensory memory information. Short-term memory takes information from sensory memory and sometimes connects that memory to something already in long-term memory. Short-term memory storage lasts about 20 seconds.

Question 14

What is long-term memory in Atkinson-Shiffrin model?

Answer 14

Long-term memory is the continuous storage of information. Unlike short-term/working memory, the storage capacity of LTM has no limits. It encompasses all the things you can remember that happened more than just a few minutes ago to all of the things that you can remember that happened days, weeks, and years ago.

Question 15

What did Craig and Lockhart’s levels of processing model say about information retention?

Answer 15

Information retained according to level of processing it has undergone, information processed at a shallow level will not be as well retained as information processed at a deep level

Question 16

What did Craig and Lockhart’s levels of processing model say about rehearsal of information?

Answer 16

Type of rehearsal that is undertaken determines whether it is shallowly or deeply processed, maintenance rehearsal is when information is repetitively presented (shallow), elaborative rehearsal is when information is semantically linked with already known information (deep)

Question 17

What is Tulving’s model of memory?

Answer 17

Splitting of LTM into three systems; procedural, episodic, semantic

Question 18

What is the parallel distributed processing model?

Answer 18

A model positing that memory is the activation of connections in different areas (distribution) simultaneously (parallel)

Question 19

What does the pattern of activation result in (parallel distributed processing)?

Answer 19

Memory/knowledge

Question 20

What does the parallel distributed processing model say about learning?

Answer 20

Learning is the when the strength of connections between relevant sites is changed

Question 21

Which models are best for the study of amnesia?

Answer 21

Serial models

Question 22

What is episodic memory?

Answer 22

Memories allowing an individual to re-experience, through autonoetic awareness, previous experiences and to project similar experiences into the future, conscious recollection of one’s personal past

Question 23

What is autonoetic awareness?

Answer 23

Autonoetic awareness is a highly personalised feeling of (re)experiencing oneself in the autobiographical past or present

Question 24

What is semantic memory?

Answer 24

Knowledge memory, memory system that makes possible acquisition, retention, and use of factual information in the broadest sense, no autonoetic awareness of the past

Question 25

What did Squire and Zola argue about the semantic-episodic dissociation?

Answer 25

Declarative memory is dependent on the hippocampal system, damage results in equal impairment to episodic and semantic memories, operate in parallel

Question 26

What was evidence for Squire and Zola’s claim?

Answer 26

Amnesic patients have equal difficulties with ‘event’ and ‘fact’ memory

Question 27

What did Tulving argue about the semantic-episodic dissociation?

Answer 27

Episodic memory and semantic memory share many features but are not parallel systems

Question 28

What is Tulving’s serial parallel independent (SPI) hypothesis?

Answer 28

Encoding into episodic memory relies on semantic system, encoding into semantic memory relies on semantic system, episodic memory is a ‘unique’ extension of semantic memory, retrieval is independent, can be supported by either system or both

Question 29

According to Tulving what happens if semantic memory is damaged?

Answer 29

Episodic memory is also damaged, but the process does not occur vice versa

Question 30

What study did Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997) conduct?

Answer 30

Seminal study examining 3 patients who had suffered very early bilateral media temporal lobe injury

Question 31

What was the neuropathology of all 3 cases in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study?

Answer 31

Assessed with MRI and spectroscopy, all have abnormally small (damaged) bilateral hippocampi, all have relatively intact extra-hippocampal temporal lobes

Question 32

What did all 3 cases have in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study?

Answer 32

Significantly impaired memory function, relative to intellectual capacity

Question 33

What everyday memory deficits did they have in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study?

Answer 33

Spatial memory, temporal memory and episodic memory

Question 34

How were all 3’s educational achievement in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study?

Answer 34

Have all faired relatively well in mainstream education, educational achievement is commensurate with IQ

Question 35

How was their semantic memory in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study?

Answer 35

Have factual knowledge that is in the normal range, have acquired extensive semantic information

Question 36

What did this conclusion about semantic memory in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study imply?

Answer 36

Intact semantic memory and impaired episodic memory, fit with Tulving’s model

Question 37

What has been found with semantic dementia patients in Vargha-Khaden et al. (1997)’s study?

Answer 37

Have shown damaged semantic memory but intact episodic memory